When she wrote this “rags-to-riches” story, Ruth Davie was 9 years old, and attending Lewis Heights school, on the east side of Sioux Falls, SD. The family maintained a very large garden and sold produce at a local farmers’ market.

(Transcribed as written. Her mother wrote the date at the top—thanks, gran.)

January 1925.

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The Story of Corrine and Catherine
by Ruth Davie

Once upon a time there were two girls, whose names were Catherine and Corrine. They lived alone in a little house with 50¢ to by clothing and something to eat. It was spring, and one day they went down town to by some seeds for their garden. They bought radishes and peas and some onion seed. When they got home they changed into some old clothes and Corrine got a hoe and Catherine got a spade and some twine and sticks. They made some rows and planted some seeds and finally they went to to bed.

2

In the morning Catherine got up at 5:30 and dressed. Then she called Corrine and Corinne got up and dressed. They both went in the kitchen (there was kitchen and bedroom in the house) and went over to the cupboard and looked in but there was nothing in it to see. “Oh dear” Corrine said. “I thought we still had something to eat left.” “Yes, and we have only 10¢ left so I can’t buy anything or we won’t have anything to eat till our garden grows.” said Corrine. “Well! we can go out and look at our garden anyway” said Corrine. “Yes lets” Catherine agreed. so they both went out.

3

Before they were out in the garden they got a hoe and their old aprons. They each had some underclothes and two pair of stockings and one pair of shoes. Also a apron and dress (calico) and one best dress (gighan). That and 10¢ was all they had beside one bed, two chairs, a table, and a cupboard with a few cracked dishes and a garden. and a stove. The girls had been in the garden for a long time and just came in the house, they were very hungry and they decide to spend 5¢ of their 10¢ for a little box of crackers. They changed into their best cloths and went down town. They bought the crackers and went home. Though they were very hungry they did not eat anything until 7:30 and then they both ate two crackers and again they went to bed.

4

When they got up they dressed and washed and brushed their hair, then they went into the kitchen and got a cracker each. It was 1:00 now and they got their hoe and spade and went out in the garden to work.

It had been growing for 4 days and now it was up and the radishes were ready for picking and bunching. They got the radishes and onions but the peas were for only their use. They were in the garden till twelve o’clock and now they went into the house and each ate another cracker. Then they changed into their best clothes and went down town

5

in the afternoon they got $1.50 for their nice garden vegtables so now they had $1.55 and they thought that they would buy four hens and a little feed. That would leave 50¢ for what they needed.

Next day when Catherine got up she looked out of the window and saw that the neighbor lady’s house had smoke coming from the chimney and thought that it must be late because the lady never got up till 7:30 but when she looked at the clock she saw that it was only 6:00 so she called Corrine and they both got dressed. Then the lady came over and said she was going to trip to France and that if the girls would take care of the cow and hens they could have the milk and eggs – (the girls had had breakfast).

6

The first thing the girls did in the afternoon was to go over to Miss Blartett’s a milk and feed the cow. (they gave her some water too) then they watered and fed the hens and carryed home a pail of milk and two dozen eggs. Then in the rest of the afternoon they gathered the peas and made two bowls of pea soup for supper. They were so hungry they thought they had never eaten anything so nice.

7

In the morning when they were dressed they went over to Miss Blartett’s and milked the cow and fed and watered her and the hens they got the eggs and went home. They had a lot of milk left from last night and it was not sour as they kept it in a cold dish of water and they took it out and made a little cake with some flour, lard, milk, cream, eggs, sugar, baking powder and some vanilla. When the cake was done they made some little sandwiches of crackers with deviled eggs in between.

They put them in the cupboard and got out their workbaskets and each got their other pair of stockings and mended them and then they washed them and while they were drying the girls went down town and each got three yards of gingham cloth for a new dress and they went home again and cut out the new dress. a 6:00 they each ate some crackers and milk (after milking) and then they went to bed.

8

In the morning they recived a letter from Miss Blartette saying she was going to stay in France and that they could have everything in her big house and barn and chicken coop. And the girls said “Well for ___”
“Now we will not have to live in this dinky old house any more. Lets each have a cracker sandwitch and some soup and cake ago to bed

The End